Passengers at 400 railway stations to soon be served tea in kulhads

Rail passengers will soon be served tea, snacks and meals in kulhs and or earnware plates at 400 major stations across country in deference to wish of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to make India free from single-use plastic.

Khi and Vill Industries Commission (KVIC) will be providing 30,000 electric potter wheels and also grinding machines to recycle/crush earnware, its chairman Vinai Kumar Saxena told PTI.

"We are giving 30,000 potter wheels this year which can be used to produce 2 crore kulhs and or terracotta utensils daily," he said, ding process should start within 15 days.

Ministry of Railways has alrey directed all Principal Chief Commercial Manrs of different Zonal Railways and CMD IRCTC "to furr proliferate use of locally-produced environment-savvy terracotta products like kulh, glasses and plates for serving catering items at 400 railway Stations across Indian Railways", said Saxena.

KVIC h earned kudos for its Kumhaar Sashaktikaran Yojana' (Potters' Empowerment Plan), which Commission claims brought significant positive changes in lives of potters across country.

Railways is alrey using pottery products at Varanasi and Rae Bareilly railway stations in Uttar Presh.

Consequent to its success at two stations, MSME Minister Nitin Gkari h written a letter to his Railways counterpart Piyush Goyal for issuing necessary directives to concerned officials for option of locally-produced pottery products for serving tea, lassi and or food items in earnware to enhance income of potters.

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Saxena has also urged railways ministry to conduct an internal survey to get feedback from Varanasi and Rae Bareilly stations, where public transporter h opted terracotta products. 

feedback was reportedly very good and plastic menace h been reducing at both stations that me railway minister very happy, he said.

Referring to Kumhar Sashaktikaran Yojana, he said till end-March 2019, KVIC has alrey distributed 10,620 electric potter wheels along with equate blungers, pug-mills and electric kilns, which produce about 75 lakh kulhs and or terracotta items per day. 

In his dress to nation from Red Fort on Independence Day, Prime Minister Modi h given a clarion call to free India from single-use plastic.

He h called upon citizens to give up single-use plastic by October 2, birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi.

According to Environment Ministry, about 20,000 tonnes of plastic waste is generated every day in country and out of which only 13,000-14000 tonnes are collected.

Meanwhile, Railways has set a target of installing plastic water bottle crushers in 407 of its stations in metros and big cities. 

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